Chapter 11
11
JAMES
I t’s getting harder and harder to slap on a bright smile. Strolling around town the Saturday afternoon before Christmas Day, I can’t even focus enough to admire the decorations. My insides are coiled tighter than a viper about to spring.
When I got home last night, Holly was in the guest room with the door closed. A note on the table read, “I’m sorry – I’m exhausted and can’t talk right now. Hopefully tomorrow.”
I sent her a text saying that was fine, and sweet dreams. She didn’t respond.
I want to give Holly all the space in the world, even though my gut instinct says to hold her close and let her know how much I care. Let her know that I don’t give a damn about her father, whatever that situation is.
Of course the thing with her dad is going to feel awkward. I’m a cop. And now she’s suddenly staying with me, and we haven’t known each other long enough to build up that level of comfort and trust, and, and…
There’s the heart of it. I need Holly to trust me. It shouldn’t eat away at me, but it does.
It feels like a complete asshole move to ambush her after work, but that’s what I do.
Lurking around the bakery, I wait until she comes out the back door, heading for my old truck. “Holly!” I jog over, wearing my brightest smile.
She seems stunned when I wrap my arms around her for a quick hug and kiss. Her eyes dart around frantically, but no one is around.
“I was thinking about hitting up the grocery store then making dinner. Hungry?”
She bites her lip slightly. “Oh. I’ve kind of been snacking all day. Still adjusting to the new sleep schedule, and all of this…” Her hand waves vaguely to the tree line. “Fresh mountain air. It’s exhausting.”
I laugh. “It’s exhilarating, is what it is. But I know what you mean. It takes time to adjust to any new place.”
Cautiously stepping closer, I watch her eyes as my hand settles against her lower back. So far so good, thank goodness. “What if we just go to Corina’s for a coffee and a sandwich, then? I have some work to do this evening, but we could catch up first.”
Holly nods with a long exhale. Is she nervous about whatever we’re going to discuss? “Okay.”
We walk to Corina’s Coffee, where I deliberately choose the booth in front of the window. Holly slips off her coat, then sits, looking around cautiously.
I hold out my hand,s palms up, and she hesitates. “Baby, I’m trying to tell you that I want the entire world to know that you are my girl.”
“But…my dad…you heard…”
Her bottom lip wobbles, and I reach out to take her hands gently. “I wasn’t trying to listen in. I just saw you and walked closer because I like being near you. But yes, I heard something about your father being in prison.” My fingers thread through hers. “It is one thousand percent okay to say no, but may I ask you two little questions about that?”
Holly’s shoulders sag glumly. “Sure.”
“When your father committed…whatever crime it was… Were you there?”
“No.”
“Thank goodness,” I sigh. “I can’t stand the thought of you seeing anything upsetting. Now, did you see him getting arrested?”
“Yes,” she whispers. “I was eight.”
Slipping around to her side of the booth, I tuck her under my arm. “Oh, baby, I’m so sorry. That must have been terrifying.”
“It was.” Her breath is shaky, so I just wait, stroking her back and giving her a moment.
She tips up her chin to stare at me. “Aren’t you going to ask me what he did?”
I shrug, pushing my shoulder into hers until she grins. “That’s up to you. If you’d like to tell me, sure. If not, that’s great too. I assume you had nothing to do with it, so it really doesn’t matter either way to me.”
She hesitates as our menus arrive, together with an automatic round of coffee. Then Holly’s gaze drops. “Dad was a gambler. Got behind on his bills. Some idiot drinking buddy of his told him about a really remote gas station, and they tried to rob it.”
I remain silent, simply stroking her shoulder.
“They almost got away with it, except an off-duty firefighter stopped them, and he got shot in the arm. Well, grazed. But because he’s a first responder, both Dad and his friend had the book thrown at them.” Holly looks up at me sadly. “Which was completely appropriate, in my opinion. Please don’t think that I have any desire to see my father ever again.”
“Families are complicated.” My arm tightens around her. “You must be curious about how he ended up, though.”
Her head shakes, sending wisps of hair flying around her cheekbones. “Nope. Not even a little. I never want to see him again.”
“Then you’ll never have to.”
She looks at me despairingly. “But if he gets out and comes looking for me, there’s nothing I can do.”
My dark chuckle surprises her. “Oh, baby, things work differently on this mountain. We look after our own.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means that if you want me to, I will put his name in my system to be notified if he gets out. He’ll be assigned a parole officer, whom I will contact. If your father gets a car, I will have the license plate number. If he gets a job, I will know where it is. I can have the system track him. And if he gets anywhere near here…” My eyebrow lifts. “I send his photo and information out to the local men, and he will be told in no uncertain terms that he is not welcome on Wolfe Mountain.”
Holly’s jaw drops open. “What? Is that… Can you do that?”
“We can, and we have. Many times. It’s just how we do things out here if we think someone vulnerable is being threatened. I could make one call that would start a chain reaction and get twenty huge guys here in under five minutes if necessary.”
Holly backs up an inch. “Wow.”
“We protect our own. We protect this town.”
My fingers walk slowly down to tickle her elbow. “And hopefully, you consider yourself part of this town.”
Her mouth opens and closes twice, then she stares down at the menu as if it holds all the secrets of the universe.
Kissing the top of her head, I move back to my seat across the table. “No big decisions when you’re hungry. It’s a basic rule.”
Her eyebrow lifts and she smiles faintly. “Another one of your mountain rules?”
“Mountain rule…common sense rule…the old your boyfriend is always hungry rule. Take your pick.”
Holly nods, her shoulders unclenching a bit as she skims the menu. I hope I haven’t overwhelmed her or scared her off. I hope she understands that our methods of keeping scum out of our area are perhaps a bit different, but she is safer for it.
I hope she’ll stay long enough to realize that this town could be very good for her.
Because I am already ten million percent certain I need to dedicate my life to being good for her.